Manipulation of Elasto-Flexible Cables with Single or Multiple UAVs

Manipulation of Elasto-Flexible Cables with Single or Multiple UA Vs Chiara Gabellieri 1, Lars Teeuwen 1, Y aolei Shen 1, Antonio Franchi 1, 2 Abstract -- This work considers a large class of systems composed of multiple quadrotors manipulating deformable and extensible cables. The cable is described via a discretized representation, which decomposes it into linear springs interconnected through lumped-mass passive spherical joints. Sets of flat outputs are found for the systems. Numerical simulations support the findings by showing cable manipulation relying on flatness-based trajectories. Eventually, we present an experimental validation of the effectiveness of the proposed discretized cable model for a two-robot example. Moreover, a closed-loop controller based on the identified model and using cable-output feedback is experimentally tested. I NTRODUCTION AND R ELATEDW ORK Deformable object manipulation is an important recent development in aerial robotics with potential applications ranging from fire fighting [1], and in general the manipulation of fluid conduits [2], to waterway maintenance [3], e.g., in case of oil-spill events [4]. Y et, for the challenges it involves [5], deformable object manipulation is still regarded as an open problem.